Valencia, Spain – Third seed Gael Monfils came up a quarterfinal loser Friday at the $1.905 million Valencia Open 500 tennis event.
Last year's runner-up Marcel Granollers grounded the French Monfils 7-6 (14-12), 3-6, 6-4 in 2 hours, 26 minutes on the indoor hardcourts at Valencia's City of Arts and Sciences. Granollers saved four set points in the grueling opening-set tiebreak.
The world No. 10 Monfils, who's trying to qualify for one of the eight spots in the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London later this month, drilled 10 aces in a losing effort on Day 5.
Granollers lost to this week's top seed David Ferrer in last year's all- Spanish finale here.
The 2011 Valencia titlist will collect $455,000.
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